


Frozen heart

by KatBauer



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Frozen AU, Skye & Fitz brotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-13 22:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1242679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatBauer/pseuds/KatBauer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Frozen!AoS AU where Jemma acquires ice powers during a mission and now she's scared to death to touch everyone, but she ends up accidentally freezing Skye's heart."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kadywicker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kadywicker/gifts).



> A friend of mine sent me this prompt/idea a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't get it out of my head, so here we are! This is going to be a multichapter story because a one shot simply wouldn't be enough. Also, please note that even though this story IS based on Frozen, you don't need to see the movie to follow the plot. This chapter is rather short, but I promise the next ones are way longer. Enjoy...? :)

" _Only an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart._ "

"Shut up, Fitz, this is no time for your childish nonsense!"

"It's not nonsense, it's a Disney quote!"

Jemma rolled her eyes with exasperation, and then flinched when she realized that the table she had been holding on to was now covered in ice.

"Stop making her nervous, it's not helping," Skye said from the safety of her corner as she glared at Fitz. It was not as if she'd chosen to be there, really, but Jemma wouldn't let anyone get anywhere near her and that was as close as Skye was able to get to her without making her freak out.

Jemma was terrified. Skye could see it written all over her face, and quite honestly, she couldn't blame her. What had started as a typical, run-of-the-mill mission, had turned into one hell of a nightmare.

Their job was relatively easy. They were supposed to infiltrate the compound, retrieve the artifact and bring it back to the safety of the BUS so they could take it to the Hub for further investigation. Easy as pie, Skye had thought.

She should have known better.

What neither of them had suspected was that said artifact had the unusual property of giving its owner the power to create and control ice and snow. And what they also hadn't foreseen was that the damn thing would go off and shoot some sort of weird-looking blue ray that would hit Jemma directly.

And now, there they were.

Jemma had locked herself in the lab, and despite her protests, both Skye and Fitz had stayed with her.

"It's not safe!" Jemma had said, her voice a plea. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Simmons, relax. Just… keep your hands to yourself and we'll be okay," Skye said, trying to reassure her, and watching from the corner of her eye as Fitz silently began to move the expensive equipment as far away from Jemma's reach as he could.

"Oh, this is not good, not good at all," Jemma muttered, her eyes widening in horror as the floor of the lab began to freeze with every step she took, until it was completely covered in ice.

"What the hell!" Skye heard Fitz yelp as he slipped, almost dropping one of his precious microscopes to the floor.

Skye's eyes darted to Jemma, who had retreated to the farthest corner of the lab in an attempt to keep her distance. When Jemma felt Skye's eyes on her, she looked up, and the sheer terror that she could see in her eyes was enough to make Skye move closer to her.

"Simmons… _Jemma_ … It's okay, I'm right here. Breathe, try to calm down."

"Just… Just stay away. _Please_."

"No, I'm not going anywhere."

Jemma squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms tightly around her middle, trying to keep herself together, trying to keep the cold from taking over.

"Jemma, look at me," Skye said, taking a few steps closer to where Jemma had barricaded herself. "Open your eyes and look at me. You don't have to be scared."

"Skye, please, you'll only make it worse."

"Don't panic..."

"You're not safe here."

"We can work this out, _together_ ," Skye insisted, closing the distance between her and Jemma, and slowly reaching out to take her hand.

" _Stay away!_ "

It all happened so fast, that no one had time to react. One moment, Skye had gotten close enough to let her fingertips brush against the skin of Jemma's hand, and the next, Jemma had jumped away from her touch, holding her hands up and accidentally hitting Skye right on the chest with an icy blast that came straight from her palms.

"Skye!" Fitz ran to Skye's side when he saw her fall down from the impact. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, _I'm fine_ ," Skye answered firmly, as Fitz helped her up to her feet. She was mostly just shaken up, but it seemed as if no physical damage had been done to her.

"You have to go!" Jemma said, her voice laced with fear and desperation.

"No, I know we can figure this out together."

" _How?!_ What power do you have to stop this? To stop _me_?!" Jemma's voice trembled as her eyes locked with Skye's, snowflakes now swirling around them.

"Skye, I think we should go…" Fitz whispered to her, trying to push Skye towards the lab's doors and away from Jemma.

"No!" Skye shook her head, stubbornly. "I'm not leaving you alone, Jemma."

"Yes, you _are_!" And with that, Jemma once again held her hands up and deliberately used her new power to throw both Skye and Fitz out of the lab, effectively freezing the doors after and locking herself in.

"Well, that went well," Fitz muttered angrily as he slowly stood up from the floor, rubbing the back of his head. "Are you hurt?" He asked, offering his hand to help Skye get up.

Skye shook her head no and then bit her lip as she stared at the lab's doors, now covered in ice, making it impossible for them to see what was happening inside.

"Where is Coulson?" Skye turned to face Fitz, her voice etched with worry and fear. "He and Ward and May have been gone for hours."

"Debriefing meeting at the Hub," Fitz answered nervously. "You don't think… No, you don't think they would take her to the Fridge, right?"

Skye swallowed thickly, and after glancing over at the lab one more time, she began to make her way towards the stairs. "We have to fix this before they get back."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Fitz asked, looking around the command center while Skye typed something on her tablet after having turned on the screen.

"We can't just leave her alone," she answered without even bothering to look up.

"Yeah, okay, but she threw us out, quite literally."

"I know, but even if we can't be in there, we can still watch," Skye pointed to the screen in front of them. They both watched in silence as Jemma frantically paced inside the lab, leaving a trail of snow and even more ice after her.

"Oh, no. No, no, don't touch…" Fitz whispered almost desperately as Jemma distractedly touched one of the lab machines and instantly jumped back when it turn into solid ice. "… _That_. Damn it, Simmons."

"How do we fix this?" He then asked, turning to look at Skye. "We have to figure out how the artifact works, but that bloody thing is inside the lab."

Skye frowned, her gaze still fixed on the screen, more specifically, on Jemma. "Coulson said this was a level eight thing, right? Meaning, he's probably the only one who knows what this thing does and how it works. He has to have the files HQ sent."

"You're not thinking of…"

"That's _exactly_ what I'm thinking."

"Wha- Are you sure? Isn't there any other option?"

" _I don't know_ , Fitz! You are the genius, do _you_ have any other ideas?" Skye snapped, her voice trembling with frustration and anger.

"Hey, don't take it out on me! This isn't my fault."

Skye grimaced as her gaze fell down to the tablet she was currently holding in her hands. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just worried."

"Well, so am I, alright? Just do whatever you have to do."

Skye nodded and began to furiously type, occasionally lifting her head to check on the screen and on Jemma.

"Okay, running a port scan… Gotcha. I'm in. Now I need to crack the password, get root privileges and…," Skye bit her lip as she anxiously tapped her index finger against the table, waiting. "Done. So what am I looking for, exactly?"

"A file with blueprints, or a manual with instructions…"

"These things come with instructions?"

"Ye- No? I'm not sure. We don't even know where it came from, so it's a possibility. Wait, what's… what's that? There," he pointed to a spot on the table. Skye frowned and quickly pulled up a window that showed a list with at least ten files, all named '0-8-4.'

"You have got to be kidding me," Skye muttered to herself.

"There's a file that contains a 3D model of the artifact. If I could open it up on the holotable, I could see how the 0-8-4 works and maybe figure out a way to reverse the process," Fitz said. "But the holotable is down in the lab."

At that, Skye let out a rather ungraceful snort. "Yeah, I know that, genius. We need to get Simmons to let us back in."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"Asking nicely?" Skye shrugged, and then rolled her eyes at Fitz's exasperated look. She was about to add something else when Fitz suddenly pointed to her head, his brows furrowed in concern.

"What's happening to your hair?"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's white."

" _White?!_ It's… What?" Looking down, Skye grabbed a fistful of her own hair and stared at it, almost in disbelief, as the once dark brown strands suddenly began to turn white right in front of her eyes.

"It's because she struck you, isn't it?" Fitz asked, his gaze shifting to the screen as his frown deepened.

Following Fitz's eyes, Skye bit her lip as a shiver ran down her spine, but she quickly brushed it off, not wanting to add yet another problem to the seemingly ever growing pile. "It's fine, _I'm fine_. Let's not worry about my hair, okay? Let's just focus on getting back into the lab and fixing this mess."

Without waiting for an answer, Skye quickly plugged an USB port into the table and downloaded all the files into it, handing it over to Fitz once she was done. She made sure to leave a back door in the system, just in case they needed to access the rest of the files again, and then shut down everything, minus the screen.

Getting back down to the cargo hold was, by far, the easiest part. The difficult part came once they were both standing in front of the lab's doors, not exactly knowing what to do next.

"We could knock," Fitz supplied, earning a glare from Skye.

" _Or_ , we could just…," Skye leaned into the wall and pressed one of the buttons on the wall comm. "Jemma? I know you can hear me, open the doors. Fitz and I found something and we need the holotable."

When she was met with nothing but silence from the other side, Skye let out a frustrated sigh and turned to look at Fitz, eyebrows raised as she silently urged him to do something.

"Simmons, come on. We can fix this, we know how. Or… we _could_ know how if you let us in! We need the damn holotable!"

"Right, 'cause yelling at her will help."

"Hey, I'm trying here!"

Skye opened her mouth to retort, when the feeling of pure, liquid cold running through her veins and freezing her blood made her begin to tremble uncontrollably, losing her balance. If it hadn't been for Fitz, who miraculously caught her on time, she was sure she would have fallen flat on her face right then and there.

"Skye?" Fitz called her, worry evident in his voice. "Skye, are you alright?"

But when Skye couldn't even form a coherent sentence, he gently eased her down until she was sitting down on the floor, and then nearly slammed his hand over the wall comm.

" _Simmons!_ Open the bloody doors, _now_! There's something wrong with Skye and she needs help!"

That, apparently, did the trick.

The doors slid open to reveal a snow-covered lab, floor completely frozen and snowflakes still falling down and piling up in every imaginable corner. Fitz had to bite his tongue to keep himself from cursing when he realized that nearly everything in the lab had been either turned into solid ice or snowed on.

He was about to call Jemma for help, when she finally appeared at the doors, still keeping a safe distance from them. But when her eyes landed on Skye, her last shred of self control vanished in an instant and she immediately rushed to her side, wrapping her in her arms and pulling her against her chest. "What happened?"

"M-My hair is… is white," Skye said, teeth chattering as she tried to snuggle closer to Jemma, seeking her warmth. "I'm f-freezing."

Jemma then looked up at Fitz, and when their eyes met, no explanation was needed anymore. It had suddenly hit her. "It was me."


	3. Chapter 3

"It was me, wasn't it?"

"Jemma…"

"I… I must've done something to her. That's the only logical explanation," Jemma bit her lip as she looked down at Skye, whose face was now pressed against her neck, one hand desperately clutching at the front of Jemma's sweater.

"We don't know that yet," Fitz said, trying to reassure her and failing miserably, since Jemma could see right through him.

"She's so cold…," Jemma whispered as she carefully pressed her fingertips against Skye's cheek and then looked up at Fitz. "You need to get her out of here."

"What? No, Jemma, we need the holotable!"

"Fitz! Her body temperature is dropping by the minute, she can't stay down here." But when Jemma tried to pry Skye's fingers away from her sweater, Skye let out a soft whimper and clutched the fabric tighter.

"Skye, please, you have to let go," Jemma pleaded, but Skye stubbornly shook her head no and shifted so she could loop her arms around Jemma's neck, effectively holding her in place.

"Stay with her," Fitz then said. "I'll go in. I don't mind a wee bit of snow."

And before Jemma could protest, Fitz disappeared inside the lab, leaving her alone with Skye in the freezing cargo hold.

"Skye?" Jemma's voice was soft when she called her name, one hand moving to brush the hair out of Skye's face so she could look at her properly. "Do you think you can walk?"

When Skye nodded, Jemma let out a small, relieved sigh. "Alright, then. Let's… let's get you back upstairs."

As she helped Skye up to her feet, Jemma looked down at the floor and cringed when she realized that the spot where they had both been sitting on only seconds before, was now covered in a thin layer of ice.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second as she tried to reign on her emotions, and then wrapped an arm around Skye's waist, guiding her up the stairs and into the lounge.

* * *

Jemma had carefully sat Skye down on the couch and wrapped her up in all the fluffy blankets she had been able to find, in an effort to bring her body temperature back up to normal. Which seemed to work, since Skye's teeth were no longer chattering and her skin was already warm to the touch again.

"Stay with me," Skye implored, an almost irrational fear taking over her when she saw Jemma begin to walk away from her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Skye." Jemma's hands curled into fists as she desperately tried to keep herself under control, the terrifying feeling of something icy spreading through her chest and chilling her to the bone. "I've already done enough damage as it is."  
  
"I'm fine, Jemma. Look," Skye grinned at her and then pointed at her mouth. "I'm not a talking maraca anymore, so that has to be a good sign, right?"

Jemma really couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips, her cheeks flushing a soft shade of pink when her eyes fell on Skye's lips.

"I still don't think it-" But when Skye's fingers wrapped around her wrist and gently tugged her down, Jemma was finally rendered powerless and all she could do was comply with Skye's request and sit down on the couch with her.

Skye slowly laced their fingers together, eyes fixed on Jemma's face to gauge her reaction just in case she was overstepping her boundaries, but when she was met with no resistance, she brought Jemma's hand up and softly pressed her lips against her skin. "Your hands are cold," she whispered.

"Hm? Ah, yes," Jemma smiled bitterly. "But the cold has no effect on me, so no need to worry, really. Perks of being a cryokinetic, I suppose."

Skye's eyes went wide. "A cryo-what now?"

" _Cryokinetic._ Someone who has the ability to slow down the vibrations of particles in matter to alter temperatures to the point of completely freezing any type of objects. Or, in other words, someone who can control and create ice and cold temperatures."

"So, you're the Ice Queen now."

"You and Fitz have both been watching too many Disney movies."

"There's no such thing as too many Disney movies. Everybody knows that."

Jemma rolled her eyes good-naturedly and gave Skye a look that sat somewhere between amused and exasperated, which in turn made Skye grin widely at her. She was glad that, even if it was for just a moment, Jemma was back to being her normal self, instead of being terrified of her new powers.

"It doesn't sound so bad," Skye commented, instantly regretting her words when Jemma's face fell a little. She watched as Jemma pulled her hand away from her grasp and tenderly ran her fingers through her hair, twirling the now white strands around her index and tucking them behind Skye's ear. Jemma then let her fingertips brush against Skye's jaw line before pulling away completely and averting her gaze down to her lap.

Just as Skye was about to reach for Jemma's hand again, Fitz burst into the lounge, followed by one of their D.W.A.R.F.s and carrying a small briefcase in one hand and the 0-8-4 in the other.

Jemma instantly jumped to her feet and as far away from Skye as she could get. "Did you find something? Please, tell me that you did."

"Err… Well, no, and… yes."

"Fitz!"

"First of all, we need a new holotable. This one is completely useless. We might as well just chop it into pieces and turn it into ice cubes, for all that it's worth now. Second of all, I managed to dump all the data from the USB into Happy and create a mini 3D model of the 0-8-4, which even though it's about four hundred times smaller than the one the holotable would project, it's still viable to work on…"

"Fitz…," Jemma was now squeezing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to not snap at him. The problem was, she was not doing a very good job at keeping her irritation under control, because soon enough, snowflakes began to fall over Skye's head.

"Aw, crap," Skye muttered, and in an instant she was on her feet, arms tightly wrapped around Jemma's waist as she pulled her into a hug.

And whatever it was that she was trying to accomplish, it must have worked, because suddenly the snow had stopped falling and Jemma's cheeks were bright red as she stared with wide eyes at Skye.

"Wh-What are you doing?!"

"Distracting you," Skye answered matter-of-factly, huffing softly when it became evident that Jemma was not quite following.

"Whatever your powers are, I think they are connected to your emotions. You get angry, it snows. You get scared, you turn the place into an ice rink."

"That is actually a really good observation," Fitz said, far too enthusiastically for Jemma's liking. She then cleared her throat and, placing her hands on Skye's shoulders, gently pushed her away and forced her to sit back down on the couch, doing her best to ignore the rejected look on Skye's face.

"And what exactly is that?" Jemma asked, pointing at the small briefcase that Fitz was still holding.

"Oh, right, this. This is a portable x-ray machine. It should be able to tell us what is wrong with Skye."

"I thought x-rays were for checking broken bones."

"Well, yes, most of them are. But not this one. This little beauty here can measure your body temperature, monitor your heart beat, blood pressure, can also detect tissue da-"

"Alright, alright, I get it. Just do whatever you have to do," Skye said, glancing over at Jemma.

Pulling his 'underappreciated genius' face, Fitz sat down next to Skye and slowly began to scan her body, his eyes fixed on the small screen on the x-ray while Jemma began to anxiously curl and uncurl her hands into fists, the only thing helping her stay in control being Skye's eyes locked with hers.

So when the small machine began to beep, all three of them nearly jumped on their spots, and Fitz instantly began to fumble with it as he tried to stop the annoyingly loud beeping sound.

"What is that? Why is it making that sound?"

"I think… It found something."

"What?" Jemma asked, but when Fitz didn't answer right away, she snapped at him, her voice almost shaking in an effort to contain her frustration. " _Fitz!_ What did it find?!"

"Ice. There's… There's ice forming in Skye's heart."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a bit longer, I'd have posted it yesterday but I figured everyone would be freaking out over the last episode. And we didn't need any more drama. :P Anyway, here it is!

"So, basically, I'm turning into an ice cube."

"Well…," Fitz hesitated as he glanced up at Jemma, unsure of how to continue and fearing a snow storm right in the middle of the lounge. "Whatever happened when Jemma accidentally struck you with that icy blast, seems to have affected your body internally rather than externally, and that is why we didn't see it at first."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning that the reason why you nearly collapsed is because of the ice forming around your heart. It's causing internal damage and affecting your organs." Jemma said flatly, causing Skye to snap her head up and stare at her with wide, slightly terrified, eyes.

"So how do we stop it?" Skye asked, doing her best to keep her voice firm and casual, but failing when it cracked on the last word.

"I'm not sure. But if we can find a way to reverse what the 0-8-4 did to Jemma, then we could probably find a way to reverse what it did to you, as well."

"How? It was not the artifact what caused this, it was _me_ ," Jemma said, the guilt in her eyes making Skye's heart ache painfully.

"It was an _accident_ ," Skye corrected her, leaning forward and reaching for Jemma's hand in an attempt to comfort her, only to feel rejected once more when Jemma pulled away from her.

"An accident that might very well cost you your life!"

"What do we do now?" Skye turned to Fitz, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat when Jemma nearly snapped at her.

Catching the small drone in mid-flight, Fitz fidgeted with it for a moment, and then set it down on the coffee table in front of him, watching as the small robot began to project a 3D model of the 0-8-4. "We work with what we've got."

"I should go back to the lab," Jemma pointed towards the stairs as she began to slowly back away from them.

"No, you have to stay and you have to help me. We're a team, remember?" Fitz's stern voice left no room for questions, and Jemma knew that she had no other choice but to stay. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she sat down on the couch next to him and leaned forward to take a small piece of the hologram in her hands, turning it around several times as she studied it.

It took them about an hour to make any sort of progress, and it took all of Jemma's will power not to lose her temper and release an ice storm right there and then. It was only when she turned to check on Skye, who had fallen asleep a while ago, that she took a deep breath and managed to keep herself together.

"She is going to be alright." Fitz's voice took Jemma by surprise and her cheeks instantly flushed pink when she realized she had been caught staring at Skye.

"What if we can't find a way to fix this in time?"

"We will. We always do."

"I can't lose her, Fitz," Jemma said quietly, her gaze drifting back to Skye, anxiously watching as her chest rose and fell with every breath she took.

"You won't." Looking up from the hologram, Fitz glanced over at Jemma and then at Skye before focusing his attention back on their work. "You should tell her."

"Tell her what?"

"That you like her."

"I- No, it wouldn't be appropriate. We are colleagues. I-I mean, clearly my feelings are not reciprocated, and me confessing would no doubt create an extremely awkward and uncomfortable work environment. For all of us."

"For god's sake, Jemma, she's head over heels for you. Only an idiot wouldn't see it."

Jemma opened and then closed her mouth, Fitz's words stunning her into silence. She awkwardly cleared her throat and leaned forward to take another holographic piece of the artifact, turning it in her fingers over and over again in an attempt to distract herself from the thoughts that were now swirling in her head.

After a few minutes of silence, Fitz nudged her shoulder with his and pointed to the piece he was currently holding. "We don't need to figure out how the whole mechanism works, all we have to do is find a way to recalibrate the artifact. And I think I might just know how."

"Recalibra-? Of course! How did I not think of it before!" Jemma's eyes widened and she quickly put the piece she was holding back into the hologram, turning the 3D model around and then pointing to a specific part. "There. That's the piece that functions as the switch."

"So if we can turn this around and elevate the temperature about thirty degrees Fahrenheit, we could-"

"What are you guys talking about?" Skye's voice was thick with sleep as she slowly sat up on the couch, one hand rubbing at her eyes and the other pushing the blankets away. She tried to stand up, but her legs gave in and once again, Fitz was the one who caught her in time before her face hit the floor.

"Skye!" In an instant, Jemma was at Skye's side, her arms holding her tightly against her body as she carefully eased her back down onto the couch.

"Oh, god, Fitz, her hair!" Jemma exclaimed, alarmed when Skye's hair began to turn white again, this time covering half of her head.

"She is starting to look like an old hag."

" _Fitz!_ "

"What? She is…," Fitz muttered under his breath.

Wrapping the blankets back around Skye's now trembling body, Jemma gently cupped her face in her hands and intently studied her, one hand moving to press her palm against Skye's forehead. "I need to elevate her temperature before she starts developing symptoms of hypothermia. Fitz!"

"On it!" Before Jemma could say anything else, Fitz sprinted out of the lounge and disappeared into the bunks area.

"Skye?" Jemma tried to get Skye's attention as she gently brushed the white strands of hair out of her face, a panicked look crossing her eyes when she saw that Skye's lips were slowly turning a light shade of blue.

"Oh, god, oh, god. Hold on, Skye, just… Please, hold on."

Skye's trembling hands moved up to weakly grip at Jemma's wrists, holding them in place as a small smile formed on her lips at the contact. "You are warm."

"Oh, I'm not, really. You are just so cold it feels that way."

"And pretty. You're so, _so_ pretty…," Skye slurred as her eyes began to flutter shut. "M'sleepy…"

"Skye, sweetheart, I need you to focus, alright? Stay with me, now is not the time for napping." Jemma watched in horrified silence as Skye vaguely nodded at her request, her hands letting go of Jemma's wrists and falling limply on her lap.

"Oh, no, no. Skye!" Jemma gently shook her by the shoulders, but when she barely got a small whimper out of her, she looked around desperately and then did the only thing she could think of. She pressed her lips against Skye's cold ones and softly kissed her, the ghost of a relieved smile forming on her lips when she felt Skye react and kiss her back. It was a rather weak response, but it was better than nothing.

"Here!" Fitz was suddenly at Jemma's side, holding about half a dozen blankets in his arms, some of them electrical, along with a couple of heating pads. "You've got to keep her warm, and body heat is the best option in this case."

Without waiting for Jemma to answer, he quickly wrapped the blankets around both Skye and Jemma and then turned them on.

Jemma wanted to argue, she really did, but she knew that Fitz was right, so in spite of her better judgment, she pulled Skye closer to her body and began to rub her back, trying to soothe her and to provide as much warmth as she could. Skye let out a small sigh and instinctively cuddled closer to Jemma, pressing her face against her neck.

Slowly but surely, Skye's body temperature began to rise, much to Jemma's relief, and soon enough her skin was warm once again.

"We won't be so lucky next time," Jemma said quietly, her cheek pressed against Skye's forehead. "Her symptoms are getting worse and if we don't reverse the process soon, she… she is going to…" Jemma bit her lip, unable to finish her sentence.

"Not today, she won't," Fitz suddenly said, pointing to the 3D model and moving aside so Jemma could see. "I got it. I know exactly what to do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels a lot like a filler, but bear with me, okay? It has a purpose, I swear. Also, lots of fluff in this one! (just don't hate me for the ending, it was necessary).

"Then what are you waiting for?!"

Fitz rolled his eyes. "The equipment I need to work on the 0-8-4 is down in the lab," he said, taking one last look at the 3D model before standing up from the couch. "Will you be alright if I leave you alone with her?" Fitz looked down worriedly at Skye, who was currently safely tucked into Jemma's side and buried under all the blankets.

"I'm not the one you should be worrying about," Jemma frowned. "Just… don't take too long, please?"

"No problem." And with that, Fitz disappeared down the stairs.

A long moment filled with silence followed once Fitz was gone, and the only sounds Jemma could hear were from the electric blankets and Skye's soft breathing. She thought Skye had fallen back asleep, and so she was about to pull away when she heard Skye's voice, slightly muffled due to all the blankets.

"You kissed me," Skye said, lifting her head a little.

It took all of Jemma's self control not to run away and hide in her bunk, Skye's words making her cheeks burn with the embarrassment of having been caught. "W-Well, I- You were freezing and half unconscious, and it was the only way I could think of to get a reaction from you," she blurted out, and then quieted when she saw Skye's amused look.

"I'm so sorry, Skye," she sighed sadly, her gaze dropping to her lap as she braced herself for the impending rejection she knew was coming.

Skye's fingertips ghosted over Jemma's cheek and then along her jaw line, gently tilting her head up so she could look at her right in the eye. "Why are you sorry? I wasn't complaining."

"Oh. You were not?"

Skye shook her head no and then leaned up to kiss Jemma's cheek before cuddling back into her side and resting her head against her chest. "Y'know, for an ice queen, you're actually pretty warm."

At that, Jemma scoffed and gave Skye a gentle squeeze. "It's not me, though. There are currently about four electric blankets draped over us, plus the two heating pads that god knows where Fitz got them from."

"It's nice," Skye hummed, burying her face into Jemma's chest.

A small smirk slowly formed on Jemma's lips, her arms tightening protectively around Skye as she carefully rested her chin on the top of her head, a comfortable silence enveloping the two once again.

"Skye?" Jemma's voice was almost a whisper, causing Skye to lift her head and arch her eyebrows at her, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Earlier before, you said that I was pretty. Did you… Did you actually mean that?"

Skye tilted her head a little to the side, studying Jemma's face, and then nodded. "Yep."

"Oh."

"Okay, so maybe 'pretty' wasn't the word I was looking for," Skye suddenly said, a soft chuckle escaping her at Jemma's puzzled expression. "Yeah, no, 'beautiful' is way better."

Jemma's cheeks turned a deep shade of pink at Skye's words and she once again averted her gaze in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. But Skye was having none of it, and so she leaned up again and softly pressed her lips against Jemma's jaw. "I kissed you back, remember that?"

"No," Jemma cleared her throat. "Not really."

"Hm, too bad. Maybe I should remind you. You know, for science."

Jemma furrowed her brows in confusion and turned to look at Skye. "How does any of this relate to- Oh."

Shaking her head with amusement, Skye cupped Jemma's face, her thumb slowly caressing her cheek as she gently pulled her closer. Her lips tentatively ghosted across Jemma's, her eyes flickering up as she tried to gauge her reaction. But all of her worries were instantly eased when Jemma closed the distance between them and captured her lips in a slow, sweet kiss that made Skye's heart begin to pound against her chest almost painfully. It was all it took for her to finally allow herself to get lost in everything that Jemma was. Warm, sweet, soft and just _perfect_.

"I think I remember now," Jemma murmured against Skye's lips, kissing her one last time before pulling away, heart racing and feeling deliciously light headed as she stared right into Skye's bright eyes.

"You're welcome," Skye chuckled as her lips began to leave a trail of kisses along Jemma's jaw line, stopping for a moment to nuzzle the spot under her ear.

It wasn't until they heard someone clearing their throat that they both jumped away from eachother, Skye nearly falling off the couch and sending Jemma into a fit of giggles.

"So I take it you are feeling better then, Skye?" Fitz asked as he unceremoniously sat down on the couch next to Jemma and began to pull an array of different instruments out of the box he had brought back from the lab.

"I'm fine, thanks," Skye glared at him even though he wasn't looking at her, and with a resigned huff, she wrapped the blankets around her body again, watching curiously as Fitz began to fiddle around with the 0-8-4.

"Did you find everything?"

"Yeah, most of the equipment was in the back, so it was pretty much intact. I can't say the same about the holotable and my computer, though."

"I'm sorry," Jemma said, scrunching up her nose. "But I do seem to be more in control now," she added, looking at Skye, who was now oddly resembling a burrito. Skye then lifted her head and grinned at her, shifting on the couch until she was once again pressed against Jemma's side.

Fitz then looked up and stared at the two of them, brows slowly furrowing. "Do you think that maybe-"

"Hm?" Not without effort, Jemma tore her eyes away from Skye and arched an eyebrow at Fitz. "What?"

"Do you think that it is possible that maybe _Skye_ is the reason you seem to be so in control of your powers?"

"Skye?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, you haven't thrown a snow storm since you brought her here. I reckon Skye was right when she said your powers were connected to your emotions."

There was a moment of silence during which both Fitz and Jemma stared at eachother, while Skye's gaze darted from one to the other trying to figure out what was going on.

"Guys? Hello? Still here," Skye called, waving a hand in front of Jemma's face to get her attention.

"Still, it makes no difference whatsoever," Jemma finally said, breaking the silence and absentmindedly catching Skye's hand in mid-movement, pulling it against her chest. "We need to get rid of my powers and figure out a way to remove the ice from Skye's heart."

"I know, but recalibrating the 0-8-4 will only do so much," Fitz answered, shaking his head. "It will more than likely reverse what it did to you, yes, but there is no guarantee that it will also work on Skye. Are you willing to risk that?"

"What other choice do I have?"

"You could try to unfreeze me," Skye offered, her fingers lightly tapping against Jemma's collar bone.

"Unfreeze you?" Jemma's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she immediately shook her head no, disregarding the idea. "No, I can't. I don't know how."

"Sure you can, I _know_ you can."

"Skye, there is no evidence to sustain that. Just because I happen to be able to freeze objects, it does not mean that I can simply… unfreeze them."

"Elsa could," Skye mumbled sheepishly, and when she caught Jemma's rather disapproving look, she shrugged. "All I'm saying is, you won't know unless you try."

"And risk your life in the process? No."

"I'm already half frozen, anyway. What's the worst that could happen?"

Never before in her life had Skye regretted her choice of words like she did in that moment when Jemma physically cringed and pulled away from her like she had been burned. Skye let out a soft whimper at the sudden feeling of coldness that overwhelmed her and instinctively reached for Jemma's hand.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that."

"No, it's alright. You do have a point, after all." Jemma sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to ignore the burning feeling of Skye's hand on her forearm.

"Look," Fitz interjected before things began to get out of control. "I know you are scared of hurting Skye, but you have to consider the possibility that maybe she _is_ right about this, too."

"So what exactly am I supposed to do, then?"

"Well, learning how to control your powers would be a good start."


	6. Chapter 6

For the good part of the next hour, Skye watched, from the safety of her spot on the couch, as Jemma tried over and over again to learn how to keep her powers under control. She was pacing back and forth from one side of the lounge to the other, and wherever she went, a thin layer of ice would follow. Sometimes it was thicker, sometimes there were snowflakes swirling around her, and most of the times, Fitz would nearly slip on the ice and Skye would hear a loud curse.

After a few several attempts, it seemed as though Jemma had finally gotten a good grasp of her powers, since the snowflakes appeared and disappeared with one simple movement of her hands.

It was actually quite entertaining to watch, and Skye was sure she would have enjoyed it far more had she not been feeling like something was constantly tugging at her heart with icy fingers. She was nearly buried under the pile of electric blankets and yet, her skin was getting colder and paler by the hour.

If Jemma couldn't figure out a way to reverse whatever it was that was happening to her heart, then…

"Skye? Are you alright?"

Jemma's soft voice pulled Skye out of her thoughts, causing her to look up, their eyes locking the instant they met.

Skye didn't know what it was, but whatever Jemma saw on her face, had made her frown and move to where she was currently stationed on the couch. She sat down next to her and carefully ran her fingers through Skye's white hair, not daring to get any closer.

"I'm okay," Skye then answered. "Does it look too bad?" she asked, pointing at her hair.

"Your hair could very well be bright green, and you would still look stunning," Jemma said, earnestly. And the smile she gave her, made Skye's heart flutter in her chest.

"You're biased," Skye chuckled.

"It's a scientific fact," Jemma retorted, leaning over to kiss Skye's temple before standing up.

"Less kissing, more practicing," came Fitz's voice, startling Skye. She was so focused on Jemma that she had forgotten he was sitting on the other end of the couch, fiddling around with the 0-8-4.

Jemma rolled her eyes and then scrunched up her nose in concentration, a small giggle escaping her when suddenly there were snowflakes swirling around Fitz's head, and he was swatting them away in a lame attempt to disperse them.

"Very funny, Jemma. Hilarious, really."

It was in that precise moment that Fitz's phone started beeping, startling all three of them and rooting them in place. Fitz slowly took his phone out of his pocket and after quickly checking the screen, he looked up at Jemma.

"It's Coulson."

"Don't answer!" Jemma said, panic causing her voice to tremble slightly. "He can't know what's happening!"

"Not answering will only make him suspicious."

"Fitz is right," Skye interjected. "Take the call in the control room. He won't see a thing from there. And whatever you do, _don't_ tell him that we touched the artifact."

Fitz nodded and rose to his feet, making a beeline for the control room and leaving Skye and Jemma alone, the latter in an evident state of distress. She began to pace around once more, trying to regain control over her emotions as a flurry of snow threatened to cover the entire place.

"You're never going to touch me again, are you?" Skye's voice suddenly filled the otherwise silent lounge, causing Jemma to spin around and fix her eyes on her, an eyebrow perfectly arched in both amusement and confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"You know what I mean…," Skye rolled her eyes, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You haven't kissed me again and I'm pretty sure you're kinda mad at me because of what I said before."

"I'm not mad at you, Skye. It's just that… Well, for some reason, it seems that your presence tends to _neutralize_ my powers."

When Skye didn't say anything and made a face of utter disappointment instead, Jemma sighed and moved to sit back down next to her. "Please, don't take it the wrong way. The sooner I learn how to control this, the sooner I will be able to help you."

"And then I will finally get your undivided attention?"

"Skye," Jemma scoffed. "When have I not given you my absolute attention, really?"

It was then that Skye's eyes went wide with surprise as she stared at Jemma, realization suddenly dawning on her. "Since when?"

Jemma didn't need to ask what Skye was talking about. She quickly understood that her previous words had more than likely given her away, and of course, Skye was too clever not to have picked up on it.

"Since the incident with the Chitauri virus, I think," Jemma answered, her gaze dropping down to her lap and unable to meet Skye's eyes. "You… hugged me, then."

"I thought I'd lost you," Skye said, slowly reaching over to take Jemma's hand in hers. "And I would have done way more than just hugging you, but we kinda had an audience and I wasn't sure if you… You know."

"What? Liked you?" Jemma couldn't help the tiny smirk that formed on her lips as she shook her head in disbelief. "It is kind of impossible not to."

"I know a few people who would disagree."

At that, Jemma finally caved in and shifted closer to Skye, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her against her chest, her eyes fluttering closed when Skye pressed her face and her soft lips against her neck.

She would never know what came over her or why she said what she said then, but when Skye raised a hand to tightly grip at Jemma's sweater, clinging to her in an attempt to seek her warmth, all Jemma could do was kiss the top of her head and murmur, "None of them love you like I do." The words slipping from her mouth before she could even process the thought.

Skye's eyes shot open at that and for the longest of moments, she stayed still in Jemma's arms, not entirely sure if she had heard her correctly or if she was just hallucinating as a consequence of the ice in her chest.

Biting her lip, she slowly looked up and what she saw in Jemma's eyes took her breath away and left her speechless for what it probably was the first time in her life. "Jemma, I-"

But the words caught in her throat when Jemma leaned down and kissed her, one hand moving to thread her fingers in her hair and tilting Skye's head as she slowly deepened the kiss.

Skye wasted no time shifting until she was as pressed against Jemma's body as she could be, given their position, and it was that movement that allowed her to catch a glimpse of what was happening around them. Her eyes went wide as she abruptly broke the kiss and pulled away, completely missing the look of hurt that crossed Jemma's face when she did so.

"Uh, Jemma? You may want to take a look at _that_ ," Skye said as she pointed at something behind Jemma.

Furrowing her brows in confusion, Jemma turned around and a small gasp left her lips at the scene taking place around the lounge.

Something that could only be described as a small tornado was causing the snow and the ice to swirl around the place, effectively melting it away and leaving no trace that it had ever been there in the first place.

It only lasted for a few more seconds, but by the time it was all over, the lounge was as snow and ice free has it had ever been.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm so sorry this took so long. That was not the plan at all, but somewhere along the line, this chapter got particularly difficult to write and it was a real struggle. Hopefully, it's not too terrible? Just a bit heavy on the angst (not sorry for that).  
> And second, I want to take a moment to say thank you to my sister (kenzimalikov on Tumblr) for her support and for staying up with me until six in the morning brainstorming ideas and kicking my ass while I was writing. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have been able to finish this one, so yeah. BLESS HER HEART.

"How did you do it?"

"I don't- I have absolutely no idea."

"You should try doing it again."

"How? I don't even know what it is that I did in the first place."

"Okay, well, then what were you thinking? Because that's probably what triggered… uh… _this_ ," Skye said, gesturing towards the now snow-free lounge.

"Nothing. It was nothing, really," Jemma stammered, cheeks flushing pink in embarrassment. She looked away from Skye and tried her hardest to focus her attention on… Well, on anything else other than Skye and the way she was looking at her.

"Jemma, I-"

But whatever it was that Skye was about to say, it got cut off when Fitz reappeared, phone tightly clutched in his hand. "We are in trouble. We are in so much trouble. Coulson said he-" He stopped dead on his tracks at the sight of the lounge, his eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell?"

"I think Jemma found a way to un-freeze things," Skye said, her voice tinted with pride as she grinned at Jemma.

"You did? How?"

"We don't know that yet, Skye," Jemma worried her bottom lip between her teeth, a small frown forming on her face as she turned to look at Fitz. "It just sort of… happened."

"We were kissing, and then it happened," Skye pointed out, almost matter-of-factly, as if that explanation alone could solve the entire mystery.

"It was simply a coincidence," Jemma retorted, her tone now denoting slight exasperation. "I do not see how me kissing you could possibly counteract my powers."

"Well, are you sure?" Fitz asked, his gaze shifting from Jemma to Skye and back to Jemma again, getting the feeling that he had clearly missed something while he was gone.

"Yes," Jemma said, firmly.

"No," Skye answered at the same time.

They both looked at eachother for a long moment, Skye's eyebrows arched questioningly while Jemma's brow was furrowed in annoyance. She then cleared her throat and directed her attention back to Fitz, doing her best to ignore Skye's intense gaze for the time being.

"So what was it that you were saying about agent Coulson?"

"Debriefing is almost over," Fitz explained. "He said they will be back in approximately two hours."

"Then lets get back to work, shall we?" Jemma said as she rose to her feet and once again, began to frantically pace around the lounge, throwing glances at Skye every once in a while.

Fitz watched her for a moment, confusion written all over his face, but then he simply went back to fiddling with the artifact in silence, figuring that the best he could do was to stay away from it. Whatever 'it' happened to be.

Burying herself under the pile of blankets, Skye kept her eyes fixed on Jemma, following her every move with such intensity that Jemma was beginning to feel somewhat uncomfortable. And it didn't exactly help, either, that her confession from earlier had been completely ignored by Skye, the weight of the unspoken rejection feeling now heavy on her heart.

Jemma was so lost in her own world, that it wasn't until Fitz let out a rather loud curse that she snapped out of it and turned to look disapprovingly at him.

"Jemma, would you mind…?" Fitz gestured towards the thin layer of snow currently covering every inch of the lounge, including both Skye and Fitz and the artifact he was working on.

But Jemma's attention was not on Fitz anymore, but rather on Skye, who was now shivering slightly while trying to pull the blankets tighter around her body.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Jemma muttered, and with a small flourish of her fingers, the snowflakes stopped falling, but the snow on the floor remained untouched.

"It's alright, the snow can't actually cause any damage to the 0-8-4, but…" Fitz left his sentence unfinished as he turned to look at Skye.

Jemma cringed at the sight of her, and when their eyes met, she instinctively took a step backwards, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Fitz, can you give us a sec?" Skye suddenly asked, her eyes fixed on Jemma's face as she watched her reaction.

Fitz lifted his head from the artifact and gave Skye a look that was both disapproving and questioning at the same time. "Skye, I really don't think…"

"Five minutes, that's all," Skye said, and before Fitz could protest again, she added, "Please?"

Fitz rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else. He grabbed the 0-8-4 in one hand and some of his tools in the other and silently made his way to the kitchenette, giving Jemma a stern look when he walked past her.

Skye's eyes followed him as he left the lounge, and once she was sure he was out of earshot, she turned her attention back to Jemma, who had remained rooted in place the whole time. "Can we talk?"

"Skye, we can't afford to waste any more time. Can't it wait until later?"

"No. No, it can't. Because if something happens to me, then we re-"

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Jemma cut her off before Skye had the chance to finish the thought, her voice wavering slightly.

"Okay, fine, whatever. Earlier before, you… You said you loved me."

"I did?"

"Uh… Yeah."

"Oh. I honestly cannot recall saying such a thing, really."

"Jemma…"

"Yes, Skye?"

Skye pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she studied Jemma's face, her eyes boring into hers as she tried to search for something in them. But whatever that was, she seemed to not have found it, because seconds later, she cast her gaze down to her lap and then nodded, looking almost defeated.

"I guess I must've hallucinated it or something," she said quietly as her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She kept her head down, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of one of the blankets as she refused to meet Jemma's eyes again, not wanting her to see the unshed tears.

Jemma winced at Skye's words. The last thing she had wanted was to hurt her, and yet, there she was, every word coming out of her mouth digging further into the wound and every action causing more damage than relief.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to say the words she so desperately wanted to say again. Nothing stung more than rejection, and if the way Skye had previously ignored her admittance was anything to go by, Jemma was positive that, that was what she would be in for, should she choose to answer Skye's question.

"I am not entirely sure hallucinations are a definite symptom of your current situation, but I wouldn't rule them out, either."

"Right…" Skye nodded once as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and shifted on the couch, until she was curled up in a tiny ball under the pile of blankets. "You should… go back to your thing. Don't mind me."

Curling and uncurling her fists, Jemma screwed her eyes shut as she tried her hardest to reign on her emotions, willing the ice cold poison she could feel coursing through her veins to disappear. Clearly, she was doing a very poor job, because soon there was a rather thick layer of ice spreading all over the lounge's floor and reaching the bunks area and the kitchenette.

"Crap," Skye suddenly muttered under her breath as she shot up, her hand flying to her chest to clutch it tightly.

Jemma almost instantly turned on her heels to ask her what was wrong, but she had barely gotten one word out when all hell seemed to suddenly break lose.


	8. Chapter 8

Letting out a soft gasp, Skye collapsed onto the couch, her body trembling as her hair, the few brown strands left, quickly turned into pure white.

Jemma darted across the lounge and sat next to Skye, pulling her into her arms, one hand moving to gently tilt her head up while her eyes frantically scanned her features. She pressed her palm against her forehead and her eyes widened in something akin to sheer terror.

" _Fitz!_ " Jemma called, voice shaking with fear and worry. "Fitz, we need help!"

"Jemma…" Skye's voice was weak and muffled as she pressed her face against Jemma's neck in a desperate attempt to keep warm.

"It's alright, Skye, I'm right here," Jemma said, pressing a reassuring kiss against Skye's hair. "We are going to fix this, we will find a way."

"What the hell?!" In his haste to get back to the lounge as fast as possible, Fitz nearly slipped on the ice that was now covering the entire place, and quite possibly, the entire plane.

"She is cold as ice." Jemma murmured, lips brushing against Skye's forehead.

Fitz was right beside them in an instant, quickly gathering the discarded blankets and wrapping them around Skye as best as he could. "What happened?"

"She… She collapsed." Jemma choked back a sob and tightened her hold on Skye's shuddering body. "Fitz, I- I don't know what to do."

Fitz pursed his lips and moved to grab the portable x ray scanner from the coffee table. He slowly scanned Skye's body and fixed his eyes on the small screen, analyzing the readings he was getting from the machine.

"Her core temperature is currently at 89ºF and dropping by the minute." Fitz looked up at Jemma, and the panic he saw in her eyes drained the blood from his face.

"Jemma? Jemma, listen to me. She is developing severe symptoms of hypothermia. We need to treat them, but there is only so much we can do." Placing a hand on Jemma's shoulder, Fitz lightly shook her in an attempt to get her to snap out of it. "You have to fix this."

"I- I don't know how, Fitz."

"If anyone can help her, it's you," he insisted, smiling weakly at her.

Jemma swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, although not very convincingly. She looked down at Skye and took a deep breath as a small frown formed on her face, and this time, she nodded with more confidence.

"We need the IV warmer."

"Do we even have one of those?"

"Of course we do!" Jemma answered him, exasperated. "In the lab, second cabinet to the right."

Fitz wasted no time, and before Jemma even had the time to say something else, he bolted down the stairs.  
Screwing her eyes shut, Jemma tried her hardest to reign on her emotions. The second Fitz had been gone and she had found herself alone with Skye, she began to feel her self control slipping away, a chill running down her spine.

She gingerly took one of Skye's hands in hers, her ice cold skin making her cringe. Skye's eyes were closed and her breathing was getting shallower and more labored, her parted lips slowly but surely turning blue.

Jemma pressed her lips against Skye's palm before lacing their fingers together and pulling their now joined hands against her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Skye," she whispered.

"S'not your fault," she heard Skye mumble against her neck, and Jemma couldn't help flinching when Skye's cold lips brushed against her skin as she spoke.

Jemma shook her head and held Skye's hand tighter in her own, a soft whimper escaping her when she realized that Skye's hands had started to frost over an icy blue.

She was about to yell Fitz's name again, when he suddenly reappeared, IV warmer in one hand and an oxygen mask in the other. When Jemma gave him a puzzled look, he shrugged and handed her the mask first. "Core rewarming system," he explained, holding up a small machine while Jemma gently laid Skye down and placed the mask on her face. "The inhalation of warm water-saturated oxygen will…"

"…Help warm the hypothalamus, the temperature regulation center, helping rewarm the nervous system. I know," Jemma said, nodding sharply once as she promptly took the small equipment from Fitz to adjust the levels of oxygen and its temperature.

"Jemma…"

"She still needs the IV, though," Jemma said once she was sure Skye was finally breathing, albeit rather difficultly, into the mask. "I am not taking my chances."

"Yes, but Jemma…"

"What, Fitz?!" Jemma's head snapped up to glare at Fitz, but he simply shook his head and pointed at something above their heads.

Following Fitz's gaze, Jemma looked up and cursed under her breath when she realized that what had Fitz so worried was the fact that a small snow storm seemed to be brewing right in the middle of the lounge, snowflakes dangerously swirling around them and covering the floor with a thin layer of snow.

Jemma could feel the panic begin to raise in her chest, but she forced herself to look away and to focus solely on Skye and on making sure she stayed alive long enough.

"Fitz," Jemma said, clenching her jaw. "Can you hold the mask? I need to insert the IV line."

Fitz quickly shifted on the couch until he was positioned next to Skye, holding the oxygen mask against her face as Jemma tried, but failed, to insert the IV line. In spite of her best efforts, she didn't seem to be able to stop the trembling of her hands.

"Do you want me to…?" Fitz quietly offered.

"No, it's fine."

Jemma took one glance at Skye and swallowed hard, but something about how pale her skin was and how fragile she looked, helped her to steel herself, and the trembling of her hands stopped. She worked fast and efficiently, and as soon as she was done, she adjusted the temperature on the equipment, and waited.

She tiredly rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand and fixed her eyes on the small screen of the IV warmer, while Fitz kept an eye on the rest of the equipment.

"Jemma…," Fitz said, after what it felt like an eternity of silence. He waited until Jemma lifted her head and their eyes met. "I don't think this is working. Look at her," Fitz pointed at the hand Jemma was holding in hers, and furrowed his brows at the rather odd pale white tone that it was acquiring.

Jemma's fingertips then slid across Skye's thin wrist until they found her pulse point and lightly pressed against the cold skin, struggling to feel it.

"Her heart rate is decreasing," Fitz said out loud the words he knew were crossing Jemma's head. "Jemma…"

"I know, Fitz! _I know!_ " Jemma finally snapped, holding Skye's hand tightly in hers, her eyes filling with tears. "She is dying and there is absolutely nothing that I can do to stop it!"

Fitz then opened his mouth to answer, but he never got the chance to say anything, because it was in that precise moment when the brewing storm above them finally exploded.

Snow began to fall copiously all over them, and from the spot on the floor Jemma's feet were touching, ice quickly began to spread all across the lounge, effectively freezing everything it touched on its path.

"Jemma!" Fitz yelped above the sudden noise of the storm. "For god's sake, you _have_ to calm down!"

But one look at Jemma's terrified face told him that, that was not going to happen. She was pale, pupils dilated in fear and hands shaking while the snow swirled around her, completely out of control.

Jemma anxiously ran her hands through her hair, trying to get a hold of herself. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage, and for the first time since she was hit with the 0-8-4's ray, she felt _cold_. She knew deep inside that she had finally cracked, losing the already scarce control she had over her powers, and that now there was no going back.

She watched, rooted in place, as the blazing wind that had seemingly come out of nowhere, knocked things over while the snow storm roared around them.

Only the muffled sound of Fitz's voice seemed to finally get to her, and she turned to look at him as he gestured in Skye's direction.

Reaching over, Jemma slowly brushed her fingertips across Skye's cheek but instantly pulled away almost as if she had been burned when Skye's skin started to crystallize under her touch, and Jemma could do nothing but watch in horrified silence as Skye's entire body turned into solid ice.

"Skye!"

Throwing caution to the wind, Jemma shifted closer to Skye and carefully cradled her face in her hands, her fingertips burning at the contact.

"Oh, Skye… No, no… Please, no."

But when she got no answer, a broken sob escaped her throat and she hid her face against Skye's neck, hands gripping tightly her now frozen body. Suddenly, the swirling storm around them stopped, snow frozen and hanging suspended in mid-air.

"I'm so sorry, Skye," Jemma mumbled, voice quivering. "I'm so sorry I failed you."

Lifting her gaze when she felt a hand gently squeeze her shoulder, Jemma shook her head and clung tighter to Skye, refusing to let go. Fitz didn't say anything, he simply stood there, watching the scene in front of his eyes, for the first time in his life not having a clue of what he was supposed to do.

"Oh, lord. What am I going to do? Skye… Skye, _please_ ," Jemma begged. "I was so stupid, so, so stupid."

There was a beat of silence before Jemma finally pulled back, her hand cupping Skye's face while her thumb caressed her cheekbone. "I love you, Skye," she whispered, leaning down to tenderly kiss Skye's lips. "I should have told you sooner. I'm sorry… I love you so much."

Jemma pressed her forehead against Skye's chest, finally allowing herself to cry freely, her hands clutching Skye's shoulders as she desperately tried to hold on to her even though she knew that it was too late.

"Uh, Jemma?" Fitz's voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper, but in the dead silence that had fallen upon them, Jemma heard him and slowly lifted her head to look at him, her brows furrowing when she saw his shocked expression.

She was about to ask him what was wrong, when she suddenly felt a familiar warmth spread through her body, making her cheeks flush and her heart race in her chest, melting away the cold that had seeped through her veins. With trembling lips, she turned, looking for the source of it, and her jaw nearly dropped on the floor when she was met with a pair of confused brown eyes that were staring right back at her.

Skye then lifted a hand and slowly trailed her fingertips over Jemma's bottom lip.

"Hey…"

" _What the bloody hell?!_ " Fitz then blurted out.


	9. Chapter 9

When Skye woke up for the second time that day, the first thing she noticed was the warmth radiating off of  _something_ , and that said something was also breathing. She could feel the rise and fall with every breath taken and a steady heartbeat against her ear.

She stirred, one hand moving to rub at her tired eyes as her brain tried to make sense of what had happened, and to remember where she was.

Skye lifted her head, still sleepy and somewhat confused, and suddenly realized that she was in her bunk, in her bed more specifically, and that the warm, breathing thing which she had been comfortably sleeping on, was no other than Jemma.

"Hello, Skye. How are you feeling?" Jemma asked her, voice soft and low, while her eyes anxiously scanned Skye's face.

"Tired," Skye answered, voice still thick with sleep. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember waking up, and then passing out again and…," Skye trailed off as she slowly moved to sit up, back resting against the pillows. "How did I get to my bunk?"

"Agent Ward was kind enough to carry you," Jemma said, looking terribly guilty.

"Ward?!" Skye's eyes went wide as she turned to face Jemma, who seemed to have taken a rather sudden interest on her lap, her fingers nervously toying with the hem of her sweater.

"Yes, agent Ward. You see, I was about to… well, clean up the mess, so to speak, when Coulson, May and Ward got back from the debriefing meeting. So of course, I was left with no other choice but to explain why half of the Bus was covered in snow. And why the Holotable and Fitz's computer are now useless."

"Coulson's not going to kick you out, right?"

"Oh, no. _No_ ," Jemma said firmly when she saw Skye's panicked expression. "He made arrangements to send the 0-8-4 to the Slingshot as soon as possible and he assured us that this incident would be kept under wraps. For everyone's sake."

"Wait, he got rid of the artifact? But what about your powers?"

"I no longer have them, don't worry," Jemma smiled sadly. "Once we made sure you were alright, Fitz used the 0-8-4 to reverse them."

At Jemma's words, Skye instinctively brought a hand up to her chest. She knew that there was no way she could actually feel anything, assuming that there was something still left there, but she couldn't help herself.

Jemma then shook her head and tentatively placed her own hand over Skye's, giving it a light squeeze. "It's gone, Skye," she reassured her, and Skye instantly knew what she was referring to. "I've been monitoring your vitals for the past five hours, and I'm happy to report that everything is back to normal."

"How? How did you do it?"

"Well, turns out, you were right all along. There was a correlation between my thoughts, and apparently my feelings as well, and my powers."

When Skye's brows furrowed in confusion, the corners of Jemma's lips quirked up in a tiny, amused smile. "I am still not a hundred percent sure of how this worked, but what I do know, is that my feelings for you, somehow, neutralized the damage my powers caused."

There was a pause as Skye let Jemma's words sink in. Without giving much thought to her actions, she gripped Jemma's wrist and pulled until her arm was draped over her waist.

When Skye caught a glimpse of Jemma's taken aback expression, she smiled and shifted until she was cuddled against her side, face pressed in the curve of Jemma's neck.

"You should keep holding me," Skye said, and even though Jemma couldn't see her, she could still _feel_ her smirk. "For science."

"Skye…," Jemma worried her bottom lip between her teeth and resisted the urge to move away, not wanting to hurt Skye's feelings. But she did shift rather awkwardly until Skye lifted her head, a rather frustrated look on her face.

"I heard you," Skye then said, and when Jemma tried to look away, she placed a finger under her chin and gingerly turned her around so she could look at her. "You love me. You can't take it back this time, and I won't let you."

"I wasn't going to."

"Well, good. Because I didn't want you to," Skye grinned at her and then leaned up to kiss Jemma's forehead before setting her head down on her chest, ear pressed against her heart.

Jemma pursed her lips as she watched Skye snuggle against her once more, tugging at her wrist with impatience until Jemma finally relented and wrapped her arm tightly around her, holding Skye against her body.

With seemingly a mind of their own, Jemma's fingertips slipped under Skye's shirt and softly pressed once, twice against the warm skin of her back, trailing a path up her spine and back down again, causing Skye to crack one eye open and peer up at her with curiosity.

"What are you doing?" she asked, amusement evident in her voice.

"Oh. I-" Jemma's cheeks flushed pink with the embarrassment of having been caught, and she offered Skye an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I was just making sure, I suppose."

Skye raised an eyebrow. "That I'm not a Skye-sicle anymore?"

"Yes, well, those are not exactly the words I would use to describe the fact that you nearly _died_ , but I guess it is another way to put it," Jemma scoffed.

Letting out a small sigh, Skye propped herself up on her elbow and once again cradled Jemma's face in her hand. "It was an accident, Jemma. Stop beating yourself up over it. I'm fine, you're fine, it's all good."

Jemma shook her head, but leaned into Skye's touch, needing the comfort it provided. "I thought I had lost you. I thought- I thought you were _dead_ , Skye."

"But you fixed it. You saved my life."

"I was the one who put it in danger in the first place."

"Jemma…," Skye tried once more, but when it became clear that words were not going to work this time, she did the one thing she could think of to get her message across once and for all.

"Hey, look at me," she whispered, and when Jemma finally did, Skye simply closed the small distance between them and kissed her.

Jemma tried to protest, she really did, but when Skye's fingers slid up and tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, she had no other choice but to just give in.

Skye kissed her slowly, deeply and relentlessly, until she could feel Jemma begin to fall apart against her lips, and even then, she still didn't want to stop. She wasn't going to let go, not until she was absolutely sure that Jemma had finally understood.

"You love me," Skye murmured against Jemma's lips, and all Jemma could do was nod in response.

She had thought long and hard about it during the hours she had spent holding Skye while she was sleeping. If those words were the reason Skye was still alive, then she wasn't going to deny them anymore. Even if that meant getting her heart shattered.

"I love you," she heard herself whisper as Skye softly kissed the hollow of her throat. Jemma's eyes were squeezed shut, her bottom lip trembling slightly as she braced herself for what was to come.

"Jemma…" Skye then tenderly kissed her eyelids, and when Jemma opened her eyes, Skye grinned widely at her. "I love you, too."


End file.
